on Nebulous Stars . 
light together into a point, when they will he found to a flu me 
the appearance of fmall ftars; that is, of ftars at the diftance 
of thofe which we call of the 8th, 9th, or 10th magnitude. 
Indeed this idea is greatly fupported by the difcovery of a well 
defined, lucid point, refembling a ftar, in the center of one of 
them : for the argument which has been ufed, in the cafe of 
nebulous ftars, to fhew the probability of the exiftence of a 
luminous matter, which refted upon the difparity between a 
bright point and its furrounding fhining fluid, may here be 
alledged with equal juftice. If the point be a generating ftar, 
the further accumulation of the already much condenfed', 
luminous matter, may complete it in time. 
How far the light that is perpetually emitted from millions 
of funs may be concerned in this fhining fluid, it might be 
prefumptuous to attempt to determine ; but, notwithftanding 
the unconceivable fubtilty of the particles of light, when the 
number of the emitting bodies is almoft infinitely great, and 
the time of the continual emiflion indefinitely long, the quan- 
tity of emitted particles may well become adequate to the con- 
ftitution of a fhining fluid, or luminous matter, provided a 
caufe can be found that may retain them from flying off, or 
reunite them. But fuch a caufe cannot be difficult to guefs at, 
when we know that light is fo eaiily reflected, refraCted, in* 
fleCted, and deflected ; and that, in the immenfe range of its 
courfe, it muft pafs through innumerable fyftems, where it 
cannot but frequently meet with many obftacles to its recti- 
linear progreffion. Not to mention the great counteraction of 
the united attractive force of whole fidereai fyftems, which 
muft be continually exerting their power upon the particles 
while they are endeavouring to fly off. However, we fhall lav 
no ftrefs upon a furmife of this kind, as the means of veri- 
fying 
